THREE POINTS, TWO GOALS & SUPER CALLUM TAYLOR IN GOAL!

What an afternoon it was - Rusthall showed superb character to find a way to win despite the baking heat, questionable refereeing decisions, and losing goalkeeper, Tommy Taylor for the last part of the game.
The game was only two minutes old when Rusthall took the lead. A sweeping ball out to Jesse Hammond stationed on the left wing was expertly picked out of the sky and brought under immediate control. For the first time of many, he sold his full back a ticket to a different destination, skipped past him and delivered a firm, low cross which was met by the boot of new striker, Reece Deakin, who calmly slotted the ball home. If there was joy both on and off the pitch, it was perhaps tempered by thoughts of taking the lead in previous games against Lordswood and Tunbridge Wells and ultimately coming away with less than what was deserved, so focus and a willingness to keep on the front foot was surely key. The Rustics certainly did just that- dominating the first half entirely, creating multiple chances, and allowing Tommy Taylor a pleasant afternoon in the sun.

The midfield pairing of Martin Youngah and Tommy Lawrence was key to this dominance- Youngah enjoyed his best game yet in a green and white shirt as he constantly sniffed out danger, threw himself into firm but well-timed tackled, and moved the ball with precision. Tarik Ibrahim looked like he was enjoying himself, demonstrating some expert control, weaving runs, and flicks and tricks to entertain the crowd. If there was any question about where he learned such skill, we perhaps don’t need to look further than the manager himself- when faced with a high ball dropping his way on the touchline, Jimmy Anderson showed the players how to do it with a lovely little flick of the leg to bring the ball under control.

Two chances came and went which should have both resulted in goals for the home side. First, Addo Amankwah made his way down the right-hand side- just as it looked like he should have passed, he was round the last man with only the goalkeeper to beat. Just as it looked like he should have shot, he passed, and the shot that followed from Tarik Ibrahim was easy for Joe Mant in goal to gather into his grasp. Ibrahim was involved in the other chance as well- Deakin released him one-on-one with Mant but Rusthall’s Number 10 probably had too much time to think about it and Mant again smothered the ball and it remained 1-0 at half time.

As the second half began, the temperature was at it’s peak and the pace of the game understandably slackened a bit. One moment of collective switching off would help Kennington find their equaliser- a run down the right, a simple cross, and a simple tap-in for Fin Dent. The disappointment was palpable, especially given the way Rusthall had controlled the game to that point, and the way the heat made it seem unlikely a winner would be found. However, this Rusthall team don’t give up. They have leaders throughout the team who won’t allow heads to drop, or negativity to sink in. Jack Smith remains an influential figure despite being injured, and Callum Taylor, who has taken the armband in Smudge’s absence, was able to get them going. Immediately, a corner was won up the other end, from which Dan Blunn was unlucky not to score- his looping header hitting the bar and going over. Kennington went close themselves after an obvious handball was ignored by the referee and Rusthall found themselves under pressure. Tommy Taylor did what he had to do and closed down the effort but when the ball broke loose, it looked like a simple goal for the away side. Fortunately, Dan Blunn had had the presence of mind to position himself on the line and he was there to clear the ball, saving a certain goal.
The winning goal came on 70 minutes and what a perfect example of the way Rusthall like to play it was. Tommy Taylor played short and the ball was swiftly moved to Tarik Ibrahim in the middle of the park- he calmly moved past a tackle, then another, before advancing and drawing more defenders towards him. With perfect timing, he released Amankwah who found himself with space and time. There was to be no pass this time- his sweetly-struck, low drive left Mant with no chance and Rusthall were deservedly ahead.
This was not to be the end of the afternoon’s drama however as Callum Taylor went down injured with what looked like a head injury. Despite pleas from both sides, the referee decided to play on and when the ball did eventually go out of play, Tommy Taylor voiced his thoughts on the decision and was sent to the sin bin. Chaos then ensued- the referee lost any grip on the game he had left as he trotted over to the touchline to cancel the sin bin and instead send Taylor off. Callum Taylor picked himself up and donned the goalkeeper’s shirt and gloves- distant memories of Charlie Clover taking over from Ryan Burbridge a couple of seasons ago came flooding back.

Jack Lyons, star of ‘that’ goal that has had everyone talking, entered the fray and immediately made a difference. He ignored encouragement from the crowd to shoot whenever he found himself on the halfway line, but he did shoot from slightly closer to goal and nearly extended the lead- his superb shot cannoned back off the post.

With Jack Lyons on, and Callum Taylor in goal, the crowd were up and helped to carry the team over the line. Kennington failed to put the new Taylor between the sticks under much pressure - their best hope with that proved to be Louis Anderson who seemed keen to test CT’s goalkeeping ability with an under-hit back pass giving a Kennington attacker the chance to be the hero. Just as it looked like the ball was on its way to the goal, CT stuck out a leg and deflected the ball away.
There was great celebration as the fulltime whistle blew and the three points were in the bag. This was a big win in the context of a difficult start to the season where Rusthall will feel they should have earned more points than they’ve achieved. The encouraging signs of a team gelling, a Man-of-the Match performance from Martin Youngah, the exciting prospect of Jesse Hammond on the left, Tarik Ibrahim in good form and a promising debut from Reece Deakin up front, will give hope going into Tuesday’s home game against Sutton Athletic.
 
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